Four candidates are running to be the next Mayor of the City of Kodiak and four others are running for two city council seats. That’s after the Aug. 15 deadline for candidates to file to run for open seats in Kodiak’s upcoming municipal election.
By end of day on Friday, four candidates had added their name to the list for city mayor; the latest one being Mary Jean Silva. Silva is the co-founder of Kodiak Island Assisted Living and formerly the assistant director of the Coast Guard Base Kodiak’s Child Development Center.
Mark Anderson, J. Alan Seale and Terry Haines are also on the ballot for the two-year term as the city’s mayor.
Haines is in the midst of his three-year term as city councilmember and by city code he cannot simultaneously serve on the council and be mayor.
If he were to win the mayoral position then his city council seat would be vacated. That would mean the mayor and the council after the election would have 30 days to appoint a qualified candidate living within city limits to fill the vacancy. That individual would fill the remainder of Haines’ term on the city council, which ends in October of 2027.
For transparency, Haines is a staff member at KMXT Radio. He does not have any editorial influence over news stories and he did not review this story before it was published.
There are also two councilmember seats up for grabs this year with four candidates and neither of the incumbents running for election.
Councilmember Charlie Davidson had previously submitted his paperwork to run, but decided to withdraw from the race on Friday. Davidson said in a statement that he made the decision for health reasons. He added that this would not affect his ability to finish his current term. Davidson has held a seat on the city council for a total of 32 years.
The final candidates for the council are Davidson’s niece - Djuna Davidson, Sandra West, Nick Mangini and Jay Celli.
Registered voters who live within the city can choose two candidates for the council and the top two vote getters will win seats.
In related news, five candidates are vying for two open seats on the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly. There’s also a head-to-head challenge for Borough Mayor between two candidates who were already elected to local municipal positions.
After neither incumbent Larry LeDoux nor Jared Griffin filed for the two seats on the Borough Assembly, five newcomers all submitted paperwork by Friday’s deadline.
Those candidates are:
Jeffery A. Woods, a police officer with the Kodiak Police Department. His wife Annika Woods is currently a city councilmember.
“KVan” Kristina Van Hoogmoed, a development staff member at KMXT Radio and former teacher with the local school district.
Jeremiah Gardner, a local business owner at Kodiak’s bicycle shop, 58 Degrees North.
Caroline Roberts, works for Kodiak Area Native Association and moved to the island over three years ago.
And Rob Lindsey, a longtime fisherman and member of the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council.
As for the Borough Mayor position, assembly member Jared Griffin filed as a challenger against incumbent Scott Arndt rather than run for re-election on the assembly. He has been on the Borough Assembly since October of 2021.
For transparency, Griffin is the general manager of KMXT Radio. He does not have any editorial influence over news stories and he did not review this story before it was published.
Arndt has been Borough Mayor since May of 2023 and was on the assembly prior to that.
Meanwhile incumbent [James] Jim Pryor is the only one running for the lone seat on the Kodiak Island Borough School District’s school board this year.
There are also nine total open seats spread across five service area boards. Four of them have candidates with no challengers leaving the rest currently vacant.
Election Day for both the city and borough is Oct. 7. Early voting begins on Sept. 22.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect that Caroline Roberts has lived on the island for more than three years.
